BEUKEMA: Never too late to learn new ice fishing techniques

CADILLAC — No matter how much you ice fish, there is always something to be learned at one of Mark Martin’s Ice Fishing Vacation Schools.

Last week during a seminar and pre-fish rigging demonstration, various members of the pro staff explained how and why they do certain things when fishing.

“You don’t want to be out here on Lakes Mitchell or Cadillac with a wimpy rod,” Grand Haven resident and staffer Todd Sokow said. “Use a little stiffer rod to handle baits like Do Jiggers and Buckshot lures,” he said.

Tournament walleye professional angler Brandon Carpenter asked the group if anyone knew when a long rod was used or when a short rod was appropriate.

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“You’ll see Mark and I along with some of the other staff walking around from shack to shack with a longer rod than what most of you use. That’s for fishing while standing up.

“The shorter jigging rods are used in shanties mainly due to the lack of headroom to set the hook,” he said.

The following day 5:30 a.m. came around quickly. So did the change in weather. Temperatures were minus five degrees with winds easily hitting the 25 mph below zero range.

The consideration at this early hour was figuring out how to stay warm. That concern became even more apparent when we learned we would have to drive across the lake in a nearly blinding snowstorm.

Once we got to our fishing area, we stayed together in a large group, spread out in a ragged circle.

The first mission was to get the shacks or shanties up. As soon as they were erected they needed to be weighted down to keep from being blown over by the strong winds.

Next came the job of cutting holes. Some cut two holes and called it good while others stayed outside with hand held electronics looking at a map of the lakes contours in order to line up an area on the ice to drill several holes.

Almost as soon as a hole was drilled it started freezing over. Left alone for a few minutes, ice would have to be chipped from the hole.

Tip up anglers found the action difficult for a couple of reasons. First, when pulling a tip up out of the hole, reels froze solid quickly making them just about useless.

And once you were in your shack out of the wind with a heater going, you didn’t feel much like getting out into those blizzard conditions.

Many anglers were wearing one of the styles of Clam Ice Armor. I had the newest suit, The Ice Armor Extreme made with a lot more insulation. By the way, that parka is designed to come well below your rear so no wind blows up your backside.

As you put it on you can feel the difference in just the weight of the bibs and parka. Add to this Ice Armor long johns, gloves, neck gator and fleece toque, and Onyx boots, you pretty much had on as much warm clothing as possible.

In those kinds of temperatures, it was a good test for Ice Armor products. With just long underwear on I didn’t feel the wind or get cold.

I was far from sweating but was very comfortable with the clothing I had on. With the introduction of Ice Armor Extreme outerwear the curve in ice fishing apparel got steeper.

I rode out and fished with Casey Miller owner of Miller’s Corners bait and tackle shop in Lake City, near Cadillac. We braved the conditions on his John Deere Gator, slightly larger than an ATV and absolutely open to the elements!

Add to that a dead battery that had to be jumped to start and a drive belt that insisted on slipping at high speeds, the going out was a challenge.

So much so that Miller let the Gator run to be sure we could get back later that day.

Along with us was chef Mike Russell who works summer’s as head chef at PM Steamers in Ludington.

After coaxing reluctant machines to start we began the procession from Pilgrim Lodge to the far side of the lake.

With a motorcycle helmet on and the visor froze with condensation I couldn’t see anything. The helmet covered my ears so any communication was impossible.

At our fishing destination shacks that were normally pliable, now are stiff and difficult to erect. Poles are frozen meaning the gloves came off and warm hands were used to somewhat thaw the cold poles out.

Incidentally, one shack stood out especially for being warm. The Otter, an insulated portable shack really is warmer than the non-insulated types. Add a Mr. Heater and you have a warm spot to fish from.

Inside the shack I could hear the sound of augers starting up and the drilling of innumerable holes to b cleaned out and eventually fished from.

One of the drillers would be Russell who is restless. He doesn’t sit still long. “I don’t like this spot. I’m going to go drill some more holes. We’ll probably move in a little while,” he said.

Miller says his good friend Russell is a computer nut. “He’s always looking at his electronics and GPS. I just do the other stuff,” he said.

By 11a.m. a 30-inch Northern and a mess of crappie were about all that had been pulled through the ice.

Oakland County and South Lyon resident Dave Pearson was fishing near us. “I got 10 small perch,” he said. Attending his first school, he just recently got back into ice fishing and gets out on some of the inland lake near his home.

Miller also has a lake near his home, Lake Missaukee about 10 miles east of Cadillac. Besides operating a bait shop, in October his work changes to Christmas tree farming and the job of cutting, bailing and shipping trees to Florida markets. “It’s a year-around job,” he said.

His bait shop was built in 1906 to become the Kings Daughters Girls Camp. Before it was a girl’s camp, loggers from nearby Jennings used it for a bathhouse.

At this time the building was on the edge of Missaukee Lake. Miller’s dad had it moved to its present location where Miller’s grandmother sold homemade candy and cigarettes before his dad took it back for a Bed and Breakfast.

“You really should stop in and see the store. All of the old wood and cabinets that were in the original building are still there. It’s a unique place,” Miller said.

For fishing information in the Cadillac area call Miller at (231) 839-0440. If you go be sure and take all the warm clothing you have. It can get cold around Cadillac!

Roger Beukema writes a weekly outdoors column for Journal Register Newspapers. Email him at dutchbeukema@comcast.net and read his blog at theoaklandpress.com